CENSUS TIPS – Protecting Your Privacy

CENSUS TIPS – Protecting Your Privacy

All census workers must sign a confidentiality agreement to work on the census. There are stringent controls on the forms used and how they are distributed, collected and signed in; each census form must be accounted for. However we understand that some Pagans will still feel the possibility of vilification for their religion is the overriding reason for not writing their religion on the census, which is why the PAGANDash campaign is also encouraging Pagans to take advantage of the census privacy provisions.

When a census collector comes, you have a few options.

Take the census form and the eCensus handout, and advise the census
collector you don’t know what method you will use to fill in the census. The
census collector will return after census night to collect your forms.

Take the census form and the eCensus handout and ask for a privacy
envelope, and advise the census collector you don’t know what method you will
use to fill in the census. The Census collector will return after census night
to collect your forms but you can hand them your form inside the sealed
privacy envelope.

Take the census form and the eCensus handout, and advise the census
collector you will fill in the census via the eCensus website. The census
collector will not return to collect your forms.

In terms of safety, as well as accuracy, the ABS’s push for the 2011 census has been
towards the eCensus system. This method cuts out the possibility of your sensitive
data being seen by your census collector and is the safest method we can see for
our pagan community to follow. The eCensus is an online form that can be filled
out from the 28th of July until after the census night. Your census volunteer will
provide you with more information about the eCensus.